mdsiamese Loc: Maryland

I just took a vacation to Moab Utah where I had hoped to come home with many beautiful photos of sweeping vistas and towering arches. I thought about doing some kind of tour or hiring a guide, but decided to go on my own this time. I did get a few okay shots, but I'm generally disappointed in what I did on my own. I think I would do much better with a guide. Which brings me to my question.

Does anyone have any recommendations for photography tours or workshops they have done in the US? I'm limiting it to the US because I really don't want to have to deal with a language barrier at the same time as trying to improve my photography skills. Plenty of places in country have tours/workshops, so I want to start here.

Photocraig

I went to Santa Fe Workshops for a week. It was excellent. And the cross pollination form the other workshop participants (up to the Master Class level) and instructors was fantastic. I'm talking marquee names.

They also sponsor workshops on "location" around the US and world.

I have heard good things about the Maine and Rocky Mountain workshops as well.

If you go to Yosemite, they have a Photographer-led hike every week. Check out the Ansel Adams Gallery.

There are lots of choices. Google the Photography Workshops. It is great source of revenue for top flight Pro Photographers.
Good luck,
C

mdsiamese Loc: Maryland

Hi, and thanks for the reply! I'll check out the Santa Fe workshops.

I've already googled photography workshops. What I want primarily is what other people have done and enjoyed.

Ansel Adams Gallery is not listing any 2015 workshops now, they are rehabbing their facility.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

National Geographic offers instructional tours, as does the group Nikonians.org- you can guess what kind of cameras they use- not sponsored by the manufacturer or distributor.

mdsiamese Loc: Maryland

All, I know who offers tours and can use google. What to know is people's personal experience with them.

mdsiamese Loc: Maryland

All, I know who offers tours and can use google. What to know is people's personal experience with them.

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

If you use a Nikon look into Nikonians .org for their Anpat tours. MT Shooter from UHH owns a Camera Store in Montana, and does small Guided tours of Yellowstone several times a year. PM him for info. It is difficult to make recommendations without knowing your photo background, skills and equipment. My friend from MI has been on several Anpat trips- he takes a D4, D800e and a backpack of Nikon lenses from ultra wide to over 400mm, plus a good tripod, GPS, etc. He is serious about photography.These trips begin before sunrise, involve backpacking equipment to remote locations, etc. and are usually accompanied by a US Park Ranger for which ever park they are in. They do have access to areas most tourists don't get to see. The trips last about a week, and cost about $2k + airfare to the starting point. Is this what you have in mind?

bretedge Loc: Moab, UT

I lead private/group photography workshops in the Moab area. Here's a link to more than 20, five star reviews of my workshops on Trip Advisor. If you're interested in the Pacific Northwest, I highly recommend Sean Bagshaw or Zach Schnepf. They're both super nice guys, very talented photographers and great instructors.

JIm Dunn Loc: Coram, NY

mdsiamese

I just came back fro doing the Mighty 5 national parks in Utah. I booked a tour with called Southwest Adventure Tours for six days.

The traveling accommodations were great with each person having their own captain chair for the ride. Hotels were more than adequate for the area. They included breakfast, lunch and all the water and snacks during the day.

Now for your main question; the guide was great, he knew all the great spots to go to for sunrise and sunsets photos including spots that the average guide tours miss or don't know about. As an added bonus our guide grew up in Moab and was a former surveyor in the area.

Hope this helps

Jim

BillJ Loc: Austin, TX

Check out Dirt Cheap Photo Tours run by Jeff Clow. He conducts tours to Moab, Tetons, Glacier, and Banff. I participated in a Tetons tour and was very satisfied. Jeff's goal is to put the group in front of the scene at the right time of day for the best light. With small groups there is plenty of interaction among all. I would highly recommend Dirt Cheap.

Check out his website:

http://www.dirtcheapphototours.com/

raypep

I will be in Asia over the holidays and I have googled "photo walk tours" for the cities I will visit and found such tours, sometimes multiple "hits", even a photo walk tour in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Most have reviews so there is some additional info to use when deciding to take the tour or not.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

You don't say why you're disappointed with your shots.

If it's the locations then by all means get a guide that truly understands a photographers needs. You can quickly find out by asking what time of day do they recommend. Early morning or late afternoon is the answer you're looking for. If they understand this point there is a very good chance they can also help you with settings to capture the best results. Of course composition is still up to you.

If the problem is with anything to do with your camera, ie scenery is good but the results are sadly lacking then a guide won't be of any help and you need to take a class on using your camera and understanding the differences in light. You can subscribe to Adorama TV, http://www.adorama.com/ALC/category/AdoramaTV for some helpful tips in shooting. They have several very qualified presenters that cover a range of topics and best of all, it's free.

Good luck.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Begin at home. I am mentoring with a well known B&W photographer, and one of my assignments is to visit the same location 90 consecutive days. It is amazing on how much more you begin to see upon revisiting the same site. So save your money. Stay close to home. Look and feel before you click the shutter. Attend a local camera club. Take advantage of all the free information on the internet.

HTH

tjphxaz Loc: Phoenix, AZ

The Arizona Highways Magazine photo workshops are excellent and include sites throughout the Western U.S. in addition to Arizona, which is rich with opportunities on its own.
http://www.ahpw.org/

mdsiamese Loc: Maryland

I'm disappointed in my shots because of the subject material, not the technique. Maybe I was just too much in awe of the grandeur of the place that I couldn't focus on seeing the pictures to take. I think I need some assistance in directing my attention to get really good photos. It's like my view alone was too haphazard, I need a mental filter which I think a good guide would provide.

I have been using an SLR for several decades now, going back to film. I learned photography using a Pentax K1000. My current camera is a Nikon d810 which I just got, but I've been using a d700 for the past 5 years so I am familiar enough with the camera. I don't need lessons on technique.

I got a few good shots that I'm pleased with, even a couple of milky way shots, but I think a guide would add so much more to the experience, in addition to being able to help with things like light painting.

I live between D.C. and Baltimore, so there are a gazillion places I can go in my own area, in fact I have done several of the safaris with Washington Photo Safari with David Luria, he's an excellent guide and instructor. But I do like to travel, and I am looking for vacations where I can combine traveling with photography. If I wanted to stay home, there's plenty I can shoot around here, but I want to get the heck away from here occasionally.

I think the suggestions people have made have been great! I'm going to check all of these out. Some of them I already knew about and it's good to know that other people had positive experiences. Everybody, thanks for your input!